Conventional preamplifiers used in storage devices implement an interface controller to communicate with a channel, preamplifier, and other elements through a synchronous three-wire port. Clock and data lines of the three-wire port (or several three-wire ports) are routed in parallel to various blocks within the storage device. Each block contains control and status registers. The status registers are hardwired to predetermined configurations, which vary according to customer preferences and specifications. When a customer requests a change, such reconfiguration requires a new chip mask.
It would be desirable to implement preamplifier-to-channel communication that allows migration of analog processing functions to a preamplifier, conserves circuit pads and/or may be easy to reconfigure without the need for a new mask.